UConn Is No Match For Memphis

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — While UConn coach Bob Diaco was commiserating with his players in the locker room after yet another loss Saturday evening, his opponents were celebrating.

Confetting was hovering above Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and the Memphis Tigers were hoisting the trophy as American Athletic Conference champions. Their 41-10 victory over UConn secured at least a share of the AAC championship, the program's first league title of any kind since 1971.

The revelry was a sharp contrast to Memphis' visit to Rentschler Field last December. UConn won that game 45-10, as Memphis was completing a 3-9 season.

A year later, it's UConn (2-9, 1-6 in the conference) limping toward the end of a losing season while Memphis (9-3, 7-1) is elevating its program to a new level.

The atmosphere was not lost on the Huskies' first-year coach.

"You can look to Memphis," Diaco said. "Look at that model. …They're in year three, and through their adversity and through their stick-to-itiveness and the execution of their model, they created a champion. Just awesome. Just awesome. That's what we're going to do. There's no doubt."

But in the same breath, Diaco says there is a lot of work to be done. UConn's latest loss was typical for this year's team — penalties (10 for 115 yards) and turnovers (two) undermined any incremental progress from one play to the next.

Despite the mistakes, it was a 10-point game midway through the third quarter.

Memphis twice had the ball inside the UConn 5-yard line in the first quarter and both times was forced to settle for field goals. There were big plays — linebacker Graham Stewart throwing running back Sam Croft for a loss at the UConn 4, cornerback Obi Melifonwu shadowing a receiver in the end zone on a third-down pass — and overall smart defense that kept the game within reach early.

But Memphis managed to score a second-quarter touchdown on a pass from Paxton Lynch (22 of 41, 194 yards) and the game slipped away in the second half. Lynch, a 6-foot-7 sophomore, threw four touchdown passes and kept drives alive with his feet, rushing for 56 yards.

"It was 13-3 [in the third quarter], it was a football game," Diaco said. "The plan was good and for the most part the execution of the plan was good. … What again plagues a young, developing team is penalties, ball-security issues. We had penalties that were moving the ball closer to our goal line and then penalties that were moving the ball away from our goal line."

Sophomore Tim Boyle (12 of 24, 160 yards) started and played all but one series. Senior Chandler Whitmer entered the game in the third quarter and completed a 2-yard pass, but otherwise it was Boyle's game.

The game plan, though, called for an aggressive running attack and more downfield passing from Boyle. There were glimmers — Ron Johnson gained 67 yards on 22 carries, and Max DeLorenzo scampered for 26 yards on a second-half run.

Boyle pieced together a drive in the final minutes of the first half, completing two third-down passes. He moved in the pocket and found DeLorenzo for 17 yards and later connected with Noel Thomas for 16 yards on a third-and-11 play.

That drive culminated in a 45-yard field goal by Bobby Puyol, the longest of his career. And it sent the Huskies to the locker room at halftime with a wave of confidence.

"That was our game plan, to get momentum with the running game," Johnson said. "We were doing that. It was a close game, it was a hard-fought game. We played hard. Obviously the outcome isn't what we want … We've got a first-year head coach. We're not going to make excuses. But watching [Memphis] win a championship tonight definitely gives us motivation to come back next year because we have a chance."

Memphis put the game out of reach with three touchdowns in the third quarter. The first came after the Tigers gained possession on a Boyle fumble and were helped by a pass interference penalty on Jhavon Williams.

The third score came on a drive that started when Boyle was intercepted by Fritz Etienne on the UConn 40. Lynch swiftly drove the Tigers to the 21 before completing a touchdown pass to Phil Mayhue.

Just like that, it was 34-3.

"Listen, everybody's disappointed," Diaco said. "We play these games to win the games. And the preparation was good. I mean, we love these guys. I understand Husky Nation and it's got a rich, rich tradition of excellence. Right now, we have a lot of work to do. And it's just a moment in time. It's going to take some time. So everybody's got to have patience. The players, the coaches, everyone. We've got a lot of work to do. We're going to get the work done. I'm excited about the problem, identification process is done, and a plan of action to address the issues is in place and is full steam ahead."

There would be a UConn touchdown. Boyle tossed a short pass to Arkeel Newsome and the freshman ran into the end zone for a 39-yard scoring play. It was longest completion of Boyle's college career and his first touchdown pass.

By then, Memphis fans — the announced crowd was 35,102 — were celebrating the victory. The Tigers added another touchdown late and the players stormed the field as time expired. Coach Justin Fuente was 4-8 in his first season at Memphis and 3-9 last year, but he is assured of a title this year.